


The One You Choose Everyday

by bythegrace



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Breaking Up & Making Up, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, alternative universe, making easy things complicated, seriously these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 12:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6657538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bythegrace/pseuds/bythegrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma and Fitz are best friends with benefits who begin to question the nature of their relationship. They go on a break to see if they are missing out, only to realize the only thing they miss is each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One You Choose Everyday

“You _broke up_? Why? That doesn’t make any sense!”

“You seemed so good together…”

“And he seemed bloody _normal_ for a change…”

“….Not like that last one…”

“And dammit Daisy, I was _really_ starting to like Trip!”

She's in their favorite booth, in their favorite bar with her two best friends. Daisy looks at them both bemusedly as they sit across the table from her while chastising her for breaking up with her most recent boyfriend. “Guys, it wasn’t like I dumped him or anything…it’s just…I dunno we’re better as friends I guess.”

“Oh,” Jemma says softly, her warm brown eyes flicking in silent communication with bright blue ones before glancing back at Daisy, “So that was it then, there was no….”

Daisy can’t help but roll her eyes, “No genius, the chemistry was great…I mean really great…Like…”

“You don’t have to tell us Dais, we shared a wall with the two of you at the cabin last month,” Fitz interrupts pulling a face.

“So you liked him as a person, he’s a great friend, an excellent….sleepytime companion…But you still broke up?” Jemma persists despite their groans, a slight blush suffusing her neck. 

“You make it sound about prosaic as it was,” Daisy states dryly, taking a gulp of her beer, “He’s a good guy. We had a lot in common and had fun together. When we realized we were attracted to each other…we just went with it. But…there was just no…no romance…no magic…He wasn’t _The One_ …and we had gotten to the point where we would just be hurting each other when we did find The One.”

“That’s preposterous,” Fitz replies, his good hand running to rub his neck as he often did when he was agitated, “Not this mumbo jumbo again. If I've said it once, I'll say it again. There isn’t one human on the Earth for each of us; the statistical odds of us meeting that person are so great as to make it nearly impossible to occur.”

“Not to mention the increased societal pressure placed on people to conform to long distinct mating rituals in search of ‘The One’…” Jemma gesticulates with sarcastic air quotes

“Leading to greater dissatisfaction with what would be generally healthy relationships…” Fitz finishes, unconsciously tucking a lock of Jemma's hair behind her ear, leading her to shoot him a quick smile.

“Stop you two.” Daisy laughs with exasperation, “I get it. What can I say I’m a romantic,” she says with a shrug of a shoulder, “I guess I want what Hunter and Bobbi have in a way.”

“A dysfunctional, nearly masochistic relationship teetering between obsession and divorce?” Jemma asks with mock seriousness

The laughter is gone from Daisy's face, and for once she looks serious. Despite the tough leather jacket and edgy hairstyle, the change in her posture makes her seem somewhat more fragile, “Not settling. Not settling for easy or sensible. Never giving up on the one person you can’t live without,” Daisy says finally, her voice softening.

“You’re right Dais…You are a romantic,” Fitz says, but his voice is kind and filled with affection as he gives her hand a friendly squeeze across the table.

Jemma's face is contrite, “It's just...it's just that we love you Daisy, so much…and we….” Jemma begins

“I know, I know just want me to be happy.” Daisy finishes with a laugh as she scoots out of the booth and embraces Jemma’s shoulders absently. “I gotta get to bed, all this code isn’t going to write itself in the morning.”

“We’ll walk you out,” Fitz says, “I’m beat too…and tomorrow we’re running simulations…” Jemma groans besides him, “Why did we tell Tony we could have the prototype functional by June first again?”

“Because some of us are teacher’s pets even though we graduated years ago,” he says with a chuckle, tweaking her nose before slipping a hand at her waist. Unconsciously Jemma’s head leans against his shoulder.

Daisy looks on at them fondly as they wait for their cabs. Those two idiots…pretending to be friends with benefits when they were obviously madly in love…and here they were berating _her_ on the state of her love life!

\---------------------------------------------

The ride back to their apartment is quieter than usual, each lost in thought. They putter about the apartment and ready themselves for bed in comfortable silence. Jemma shrugs out of her clothes quickly and Fitz casts an absent minded but appreciate glance at her lithe form before she slips one of his threadbare t-shirts over her head. They slide wordlessly into Jemma’s bed, clicking off the light. It had become a habit to sleep together, even when they weren’t planning on having sex.

Their ‘arrangement,’ as they called it, had begun a year ago, after 9 years of friendship and partnership and nearly three years of living together. It had been the result of a drunken encounter which had ended up revealing what both believed was a one-sided attraction on their own parts. They had also both been wary of risking the most important relationship in both their lives for the sake of sex. So they had begun ‘the arrangement’ by laying down strict ground rules, deciding that the friendship must be preserved at all costs.

They weren’t dating; but they were exclusive in almost unspoken agreement. And despite their distaste of any formal titles, the fact that they had been a de facto ‘couple’ in nearly every aspect of their life for years quickly cooled the ardor of any person interested in either of them.

They loved each other dearly but claimed to anyone who asked about the unconventional nature of their relationship that they weren’t in love, and that the arrangement was in place to meet their physical needs. They were young, too young to settle down, but too busy for a real relationship or to chase after meaningless sex. It had seemed to suit them both to a t but now Fitz found himself suddenly disheartened by it.

“Jem,” He says softly after she turns off the bedside table lamp. She responds with a soft, “Mmmm,” as she molds her body against his side. He absently strokes her hair as he chooses his words carefully, “It sounds like Daisy was describing us didn’t it?”

“You noticed that too,” she says her voice clearer now, “I don’t think she realized it…”

“No, you’re right…but it sounded like us all the same…falling into a physical relationship…an extremely satisfying one I might say,” He says and she can feel him smile in the darkness as one of her hands creeps up to his face, “We’re friends, best friends, and partners….”

“But not the traditional romance,” she finishes for him.

“Do you think…” he stops and turns to face her, his eyes finding hers in the darkness, “I’m afraid I’m cheating you somehow of all of that,” he says with a swallow, “What if there is Mr. Right walking around somewhere out there for you, and you aren’t looking for him because you spend all your time with me…because I’m here and I’m…comfortable.” He says finally.

She’s silent for a long while. “Do you think that we’re cheating ourselves, that Daisy’s right?” Jemma responds, her voice tight

“I dunno,” He whispers, “She makes a good case…and I always felt you could do better than me,” he says with a self-effacing chuckle, “I’m about half a foot shorter and a few dozen muscles short of all the guys you dated before.”

“Technically you have all the same muscle groups that they have, they just aren’t hypertrophied,” she says quickly but when she feels him still beneath her fingers she sigh. “You know how much I like your warm pasty body you prat,” she says, spreading her hand underneath his shirt, and suddenly she's gripped by a desperate desire to show him. To feel him tremble beneath her, to make him _understand_...

But the silence around them has a life of it's own and it stills her hand.

Finally Fitz covers her hand with his own, tracing her knuckles with the tips of his finger, “I know Jem, but you can’t say that you’d choose me to spend the rest of your life with before we became so comfortable…”

The air in the room seems tight, at least it seems hard to take a breath, “Fitz…I know we aren’t together, together…but….are we breaking up?” Jemma asks in voice barely above a whisper

“No…I mean…are we?” he asks his voice echoing hers. “I was just…I mean I want you to be happy, more than anything…” It’s on the tip of her tongue to say that she is happy, when she realizes that perhaps _Fitz is not_ , that all the talk of making sure she’s met her Mr. Right may be a cover for _him_ meeting his Ms. Right. A voice that she recognizes as her own says, “Well, if you think Daisy might be right. Perhaps we should go on a break,”

“A break?”

“From this…from our arrangement…obviously not from our work or living situation or even our friendship, but maybe we should date other people. If Daisy’s right we should feel something for someone else eventually right, maybe not meet the one right off the bat but feel some of that ‘magic’ she’s always going off about”

“Is that what you want?” he asks, his voice sounding slightly strained.

“It might be for the best…but I don’t think it needs to be long….a month or two maybe….just to prove or disprove Daisy’s theory…”

“So y’er proposin’ tha we look for other people?” his consternation bringing out his brogue

“Yes. But we have to be respectful of one another, friendship first after all.” She rejoins, her voice more self-assured.

“Always,” he says immediately, “But we should also set out some ground rules, no bringing anyone back to the apartment,”

“And I don’t want to hear the details….”

“And no getting past second base,” he interrupts vehemently, his fingers unconsciously tightening on her hip at the idea of someone else putting his hands on her. The very thought sending a shot of pure fire through his veins.

Silence reigns again as they pause before what seems to be a dangerous precipice, “Are you sure this is a good idea, Fitz?” she asks finally, they had agreed to no feelings, no obligations….but this seems so….

“I just….Jemma what if you’re 35 and we’re married with kids and you go to the grocery store, drop a grapefruit and some handsome stranger picks it up and hands it to you, and bam love at first sight” The very idea makes his heart clench, “What will I and little Fitwald and Fitzeena do then?”

“First off, I want to disabuse you of the notion that we will ever, in any universe, be naming our children Fitzwald or Fitzeena….and secondly….I don’t know if you’re right, but I don’t know that you’re wrong either,” she says with a sigh scooting away from him.

“So…we’re doing this…” he says finally, throwing an arm over his face.

“I guess so,” she whispers into the silence.

\---------------------------------------------

 

The first few days of the experiment are, as expected, a dismal failure. They had forgotten the fact that they were both rubbish at relationships had led them to their current arrangement in the first place. But just like whenever they had a serious stumbling block in the lab, they regrouped over their favorite Thai take out and recommitted to the experiment, made plans, and by weeks end had several dates lined up a piece.

Yet, Jemma finds herself home early after each one, finding no magic in any of her dates’ kisses and even less so in their conversation.

Fitz finds himself unconsciously comparing every dark haired girl he takes out to the one he has at home and finds them to all come up wanting. Worse, he misses her. It's bizarre in that the only change is the absence of the more physical aspect of their relationship, but he sometimes feels a million miles away from her...and it _hurts_. 

He stops by their local pub after the latest disaster, not ready to go back to the apartment and be polite and _apart._  Not ready to go back to his lonely room and have to ball up his fists to prevent himself from getting up and knocking on her bedroom door, to stop himself from slipping into bed beside her even if it's just to hold her. He slowly nurses a scotch in silent rumination, when his thoughts are interrupted by a voice at his elbow,

“Fitz right?” the voice asks. Fitz turns towards what is objectively a lovely girl with long auburn hair and a smattering of charming freckles, “I’m Caitlin, Caitlin Snow we met last week,” Suddenly recognition clicks and he remembers her then, head of a division in Central City, “Yes, sorry I didn’t recognize you without your…ummm…glasses” he gestures in the general direction of his face.

“No worries,” she says smilingly, “Can I buy you a drink?”

“No,” he says returning the smile and pointing to his nearly full glass, “But I can buy you one”

She’s in town for a month for a project and knows nearly no one except for the few people she’s met at Stark Labs. It turns out they have loads in common, other than the science. Both with a love for Star Trek, and Quentin Tarentino movies and preferring the mountains to the beach. It’s when she asks if he’s hungry and tells him that there is an amazing burger place open late down the street that he realizes it’s the best first date he’s ever been on.

\-------------------------------------------------

Jemma doesn’t wait up late, she doesn’t….it’s part of the deal after all… It isn’t as if she is worried per se...he’s a grown man…and it isn’t as if they are dating or anything…he doesn’t owe her anything….But she does sigh in relief when she hears the door open at 11. Her heart clenching inadvertently to see him looking so handsome in a well fitted button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up the elbows.

“You look nice?” she says breezily, “Did you meet someone you like?” she asks keeping her tone light

“I did actually,” he says hesitantly, “You might know her, Caitlin Snow, she works for Stark too but in the central city division, she’s here for a project for a month…”

“I know her,” Jemma interrupts, and she does, and she’s lovely, both inside and out, with a brilliant mind and winning personality.

“We went to that burger place on 42nd I’ve been wanting to try,” he blurts out. “She’s easy to convince then,” Jemma replies, her voice sounding strained to her own ears.

“It was her idea…she says she eats terribly and has the metabolism of a mouse,”

“Seems like you two are a perfect match,” Jemma replies quickly, breathing in short breaths to keep the anxiety at bay, “When are you seeing her again?” She's suddenly so, so grateful at his averted gaze. If he looked at her now she isn't sure if she could conceal that deep throb of _want_ which seems to suffuse every inch of her, has she always felt this desperate pull towards him?

“I dunno….” He mumbles, and suddenly, although he is completely unable to articulate exactly why, this all seems wrong, wrong, wrong. He wants to tell her no, he isn’t seeing her again or anyone else, “You looked nice this evening, caught a glimpse of you and some towering, handsome chap on your way out earlier this evening. Seems like you’re back to your usual type,” comes out instead, and although his words are free of malice or anger, he can hear the tiniest bit of hurt come across. He remembers every detail of how she looked in fact, the black lace of her dress a perfect foil to her milky skin, her lips a delicious shade of pink....

“It was fine, he was a good listener, and handsome, polite…” she looks up at him with an inscrutable look on her face, “He was boring Fitz, they all are…I haven’t met an interesting man in ages....” She says with a bitter laugh.

“Jemma,” he says moving towards her unconsciously, the need to wrap her up in his arms so strong that it nearly takes his breath away.

“So you liked her,” Jemma persists, “You should ask her out again…for the sake of the experiment….” Jemma hears herself say.

“Really? You’re sure.” He asks, more confused and suddenly more upset about the whole thing than ever.

“Yep, I’m off to bed,” she says hoping her tone comes off breezy, but she’s barely behind the door of her room before her face crumples. Oh God, _what has she done?_

\---------------------------------------

“For certified geniuses you two are the biggest flaming idiots I’ve ever met” Daisy says with a groan as she watches Jemma rub her face with both her hands the next evening. “I’m just going to come out and say it and I feel like I should have told you this years ago, but I thought it would be better if you came to this conclusion yourself….Jemma Simmons, you are madly in love with that boy no matter what you think. It isn’t a platonic, brother/sister love, it’s a ‘I want to jump your bones, have your babies and grown old in your arms kind of love’ and you know it” she says pointing a French fry at her, daring her to disagree.

“You’re right, I do,” Jemma whispers.

“You do? Then why the hell are you doing this?” Daisy exclaims, more confused than ever.

“I had begun to suspect…that this was love a while ago, but then when Fitz proposed the experiment?”

“Wait this was Fitz’s idea?” Daisy interrupts.

“Exactly,” Jemma says blinking back tears, “Of course he couched in terms of not wanting ME to settle, but I knew he was talking about himself too….what was I supposed to say, “I’m not settling with you Fitz, in fact I suspect that I’m madly in love with you, and although you obviously aren’t with me you should give up any and all hope of finding your soulmate and just stay with me instead.”

“Jemma you’re a certified lunatic if you think that boy isn’t in love with you.” Daisy says shaking her head in wonderment at their predicament, “So just because he seemed uncertain about your relationship…you ended it and pushed him towards another girl while you’ve been making out with a bunch of hot guys….”

“To no bloody avail,” Jemma whispers, “I don’t want to kiss any of them Daisy, and they’re tall and symmetrical, all the type I would have gone for years ago before…”

“Before you realized your ideal man was an average height, curly haired, blue eyed Scot.”

“I finally admitted it to myself last night, Tim was perfect the type of gentleman I would have killed to have dated as a girl, but when he kissed me I knew…I just wanted Fitz…Daisy, I never settled for him…I just…I’ve been choosing him for the past ten years without realizing it.” Jemma finished her eyes damp.

“So go home and tell him that!” Daisy exclaims.

“I can’t! He’s out with a generally great girl, one that he claims to be interested in, Daisy he has to come to the same conclusion as me before I can say anything….”

“So what you’re going to sit back and let him woo this girl, have her snatch him right up under your nose and then what, be Aunt Jemma to bunch of little Fitzs?”

“No,” Jemma whispers with a shudder, “God I hope not.”

“Then you have to tell him, in the one in a million chance he isn’t on the same page as you, he’s still your best friend in the world, and you’re not going to lose him ok.” Daisy squeezes her hand.

“Ok,” she nods, obviously still unsure, “I will…just I can’t…not tonight, I have to think about what I’m going to say. Can I stay at your place tonight?” she whispers, “I can’t go home like this…I’m a mess.”

“Sure,” Daisy says with a sigh, “Let’s go home and eat cookie dough and watch the notebook and espouse other clichés about female angst.”

\-----------------------------------------

 

The date goes well, exceedingly well, to the point where Fitz marvels that he isn’t more into her. She’s interesting and funny and her work on in vivo acceleration of human metabolism is fascinating, but he doesn’t wait with bated breath for her to finish every story. Nor does he find himself able to provide any colorful anecdotes that he thinks would suitably amuse her. He wonders at his inability to find something to say when he sometimes he feels like he can’t tell Jemma everything fast enough at day’s end. He asks Caitlin how she’s enjoying her time here and she admits to a bit of loneliness, but mentions being excited at working with new people in different environments.

He pulls a face unconsciously at that, prompting a chuckle from her. “Not one for change,” she asks

“No, unfortunately not at all,” he says with an apologetic smile, “You might be surprised to know that I’m not an American,” he says with a conspiratorial whisper, “But that’s been about as much change as I could muster an enthusiasm for, and as it is I feel like painting a bloody Scottish flag on my roof at times I miss it so much,”

“You don’t worry about what you’re missing, staying put?” she asks

“I worry more about missing everything I have,” he answers with candor, his blue eyes intense, “Don’t you…don’t you miss your lab…and your partner…how can you stand to be apart?”

“I do miss my workspace of course, it’s always a bear to learn a new lab set up. And I miss Cisco too, he’s a good friend, just like I miss my other co-workers.”

“But not so much as to keep you there? Sorry I’m being nosy, I just can’t…I can’t fathom willing going away from…my lab,” he finishes awkwardly.

“How did you end up at Stark?” she asks with real interest.

“I had an injury three years back, we had just joined….a task force of sorts Jem and I…and….well, I wasn’t 100% and wasn’t sure if I ever would be…and Jemma thought the environment too taxing for me so we came here…I’d always had a standing offer at Stark.”

“Jemma seems like she’s willing to give up a lot for you,”

“It’s mutual I think,” he begins, any further introspection cut short by the waiter handing them back the check.

They make casual small talk as they leave and he walks her home. He can sense her interest in him, so he isn’t entirely surprised at date’s end when she leans up against him and curves her mouth up to his in the invitation of a kiss. He feels compelled to press his lips against hers. And then…nothing. The kiss is fine but perfunctory, then she opens his mouth to him and sweeps her tongue over his teeth daintily. It’s something that normally sets his pulse racing when Jemma does it and now….and now of course he realizes the difference.

When he pulls away, his eyes are wide with shock. “I’m sorry but I’m in love with my best friend,” He says in a rush…” he clamps his mouth down and blushes to the roots of his hair. “Oh God I didn’t mean to say that…Shiite…that’s not to say it isn’t true…it’s just….”

Caitlin appears momentarily flabbergasted and then can’t help but laugh out loud, “ _Of course_ , Jemma. I didn’t think you were gay but you were running hot and cold all night, so I knew it had to be something…

Fitz feels like an absolute heel, “I’m sorry….I didn’t realize myself really what I felt…I mean I thought….I’m just so sorry.”

“Fitz it’s ok,” Caitlin reassures him, “We had one date, and you’re great…Jemma’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m going to go…if that’s ok,” Fitz says moving away from her door, “I’ll see you around ok, let’s have lunch…”

“Deal,” she replies shaking her head. Of course the first new handsome, brilliant man she’d met in a long time was in love with his best friend, they always were….

He runs home….literally runs…only to find Jemma absent…he gets a text from her while he’s checking her bedroom saying that she’ll be home tomorrow night, she’s spending a girls night in with Daisy and Bobbi and going straight to her off site visit tomorrow from there. He remembers now that she’s going to a remote lab to personally inspect and pick up a special alloy she had ordered. He groans in frustration. He realizes finally that he’s waited for her for 10 years of his life, one more night won’t kill him…even though he feels like it.

 

\----------------------------------------

Jemma is aware of multiple things at once, her hand being held by two warm one while kind brown eyes stare down at her and a commotion brewing behind her where a nurse is somehow calming someone and saying that he can’t rush back here. To which a familiar Scottish brogue is saying with anguish, “That’s my wife in there….”

Suddenly Fitz is pulling back the hospital curtain and she’s enfolded in his arms. The breath that she’s been holding whooshes out of her with a rush. She nods to the nurse over his shoulder who nods back in understanding.

Jemma can’t help but tighten her arms around him when she feels him shaking. “You’re ok, you’re alright,” he keeps repeating, his voice sounding broken.

“I’m ok,” she says pulling down his face, “I swear, I dropped something on the platform and someone knocked me over with their suitcase….”

“Onto the bloody tracks Jem,” He whispers, “You could have died!”

He glances up then, remembering that the hero of the day is still in the room, “You saved her right?”

“It was nothing,” the dark haired man responds rising and offering his hand to shake, “I’m Will. You’re Fitz, the roommate/best friend I gather,”

“Amongst other things,” Fitz responds dryly and then comes around the bed, pushing away his hand and enfolding him in an embrace, “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure,” Will says sounding surprised, “I’m going to give you two some space. I’ll see myself out,”

Will nods towards her, “I’ll call you Jemma.”

“Ok,” she says quietly “I can’t thank you enough.”

Will responds with a wink and before the curtain swishes shut she's back in Fitz's arms.

Fitz is kissing her forehead and hair line absently, “That was the worst hour of my life…don’t ever do anything like that again,” he says shakily, “God the train is so bloody dangerous, should we buy a car? Let’s buy a car….”

She laughs at that, the shock of the day dissolving into grateful giddiness, “Fitz, Fitz…it was a freak accident, I’m totally fine…”

“Thanks to Will,” he finishes

“You hugged him?” she asks in wonderment, “You never hug anyone but me and your mum, I mean you shook your own uncle’s hand after not seeing him for a half a decade…”

“Jemma he saved your bloody life, I almost kissed him I did!” he exclaims.

“Oh Fitz,” she swells with tenderness and affection for him, so much that she feels like she’ll burst if she doesn’t say something.

“He seemed quite taken with you,” Fitz says absently,

“He asked me to dinner,” she responds shakily, “He’s an astronaut if you can believe it,”

“Handsome, astronaut, hero….”

“And he’s interesting…very interesting,” Jemma finishes, pulling away but not meeting his gaze

“You don’t say,” he mumbles absently before cupping the back her of head and pulling her roughly to him for a searing kiss. She’s startled but melts instantly into his embrace, suddenly she’s awash in the feeling of rightness that had been missing from all her kisses this week. The kiss is firm and demanding and she can’t help the groan that is emitted deep from her throat.

He pulls away, just enough so that he can look at her properly, taking in the luminous brown eyes, the firm brows, the curve of her cheek- all of the millions of tiny perfections and imperfections of her face that are each impossibly dear to him, “I love you Jemma, I’m in love with you….God so much…you have no idea…there isn’t anyone else for me but you.”

Her eyes well with tears and she’s suddenly choked up, she lower her gaze as she strokes the scruff on his cheek with one hand, and cups the back of his neck with the other. She can’t help but lean her forehead against his as she says softly, “Fitz, you don’t really mean that…you’ve had a fright. You thought that you’d lost me and you’re confused…I mean you’ve hit it off with Caitlin…”

“Jemma, Jem…look at me,” he demands. She pulls away and she nearly gasps at the look of earnest adoration and naked longing on his face, “Jemma I wanted to tell you before this, that’s why I texted you that I needed to speak with you”…he’s suddenly unsure but he swallows several times before stroking her face with his thumbs, “I need to be crystal clear, I don’t just love you as a friend, my best friend, but I’m in love with you. Crazy, head over heels in love with you…I just…I guess I was too afraid to admit it to myself. Or rather to give what I thought was friendship and attraction and fondness it’s proper name”

At this the damn seems to break and suddenly she’s bursting into noisy, embarrassing tears, and she feels Fitz gathering her up into his arms.

“Oh damnit to hell,” she hears him curse, “You don’t feel the same way…Shiite, Jemma it will be ok love, I won’t…I won’t say anything about it again alright…it won’t change anything…” he reassures her with his face pressed into her neck. Even though she can’t seem to stop crying long enough to disabuse him of his misconceptions she manages to pull him down and kiss him properly. Smart boy that he is he shuts about unrequited love and the burying of one’s feelings and focuses on kissing her back.

Her tears slow to a stop, as does time itself it seems, and it’s just the two of them kissing in a nearly empty emergency room.

“Thank God,” she says softly when she finally pulls away, “I'm just...I'm just so relieved. You gave me a scare too Fitz, I thought I’d lost you,” she says shakily, “I love you too, or rather I’m in love you, quite desperately it seems…I think I’ve been in love with for a long time…at least since we made the arrangement…I can’t imagine risking our friendship for anything else.”

He stares at her slack jawed when a discreet cough is heard at the door, where a young man in a white coat waits, clearly embarrassed to be interrupting, “Sorry to interrupt…I’m Dr. Campbell, I reviewed my resident’s notes and exams, and the radiologist’s report of your ankle film…looks like isn’t broken, just a mild sprain,” he says glancing down at his chart, “You are cleared for discharge, I wrote you a script for some extra strength ibuprofen, just stay off it for a few days and you’ll be good as new.” He says with a smile as he disappears out the room quickly.

\------------------------------------------------------

With the changing of Jemma back into her clothes, which Fitz manages to do with only a few quick kisses to her right shoulder blade, and the filling and picking up of her prescription. It isn’t until they’re back in their apartment before Fitz has the chance to ask her the question that had been plaguing him since her admission. “If you loved me Jem why did you agree to this crazy plan”

“It's because I love you, you idiot…and I wanted you to be happy,” she says pulling him down with his tie for a light kiss with a laugh, “I thought you weren’t content with what we had…and that you wanted a chance to fall in love too,”

He’s shaking his head vehemently, “Jemma I was talking about YOU, I remember those mushy romantic boy meets girl movies you used to watch…and I wanted that for you, something more than my grouchy, Scottish self.”

“And yet that seems to be all I want,” she whispers lightly against his lips, “Probably the only thing I’ve wanted since the moment I met you.”

Suddenly their lips meet in a kiss that’s anything but gentle, and his hands settle at her hips, squeezing her tightly before slipping over the curve of her backside. He hoists her to his waist and she emits a surprised yelp and a laugh as he carries her to her bedroom. They undress each other slowly, punctuating each newly revealed collarbone and rib with a reverent kiss. They are careful and creative because of her ankle and it isn’t till they’re both done gasping in surprise and delight that they are both marveling at their own stupidity and blindness.

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize….” He says softly, tracing a pattern along the freckles on her back.

“I think I know why I couldn’t…why I didn’t admit it to myself,” Jemma says propping herself up one elbow to look at him. “I think…God Fitz…you’re already everything to me…I can’t imagine my life without you…and being in love with you too? It’s too much,” she says brushing her nose with his. She leans over and kisses his neck, "Have I ever told you how much I love the way your skin tastes? It's an incredibly odd thing to say so I doubt that I have, but I do...and I've wasted so much time not telling you things like that," she says with a little laugh. 

He can't help but groan at her words and the touch of her tongue against his collarbone and he momentarily thanks any and every Diety possibly responsible for landing him here, with her, together. “You’re right, you know,” he says kissing her softly, “It’s terrifying, the power you have over me…I think, I think because we never had to the say the words out loud, because we chose each other silently all this time that I couldn’t understand that this wasn’t just fondness and friendship and attraction, but the very magic everyone goes on about” the look in his eyes takes Jemma’s breath away all over again.

“Jemma, if ever there was a one for anyone, You are that for me….you own me, I’m yours entirely in every way you’ll have me” he says before turning her gently onto her back kissing the column of her neck tenderly.

“So we should thank Daisy then,” she says breathlessly.

“Thank her! It was her hare brained idea that nearly led us into ruin" he says as he pulls away, "But then again, I supposed we may not have realized what we had without it…” he says and wrinkling his brow in that adorable way that makes Jemma want to kiss his eyebrows, “I suppose we must thank her,” he concedes finally.

“Later,” she says firmly before reaching for him again.

“Much, much later” he agrees with a laugh as he enfolds her into his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> No beta. All mistakes, inaccuracies and idiocy are mine and mine alone :) Thanks for the comments!
> 
> I always thought that these two could fall into a relationship over time and not realize what they had...  
> I'm not going to deny that this was written in part because I'm so sad over Daisy not being privy to the events of the most recent episode :/  
> Also I love Caitlin Snow! (and I think she would be lovely with Barry, just saying)


End file.
